The Crookshanks Test
by l.h. Zein
Summary: It's not that he hadn't known about her cat. He remembered the orange monster from school as well as the few times she'd mentioned it. Yet, he was under the impression the beast was still living with her parents. "You've survived the Dark Lord, Draco. You can survive a cat." He murmured to himself. Although, he wasn't sure about that. He was extremely allergic to the thing.


A/N: Just a fluffy one shot that came to me today. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

* * *

Hermione smiled slightly at the reflection before her. She looked good. Not over the top or trying entirely too hard to please. No. simply put, she looked like herself with her features enhanced to stand out.

She grinned slightly to herself as she strode from her room out to the kitchen. It was strange, when she stopped to think about it. She was excited for a date. Her past self would have rolled her eyes while smiling slightly at the sight, and actually gagged once she heard who this date was with.

Draco Malfoy.

It was mind boggling really how her one time enemy and bully had managed to slither his way into her heart and affections.

After the war, well, they'd all been in a rough place. Her eighth year at Hogwarts had been like an extended funeral for months. Until they'd begun speaking.

She'd noticed him of course. Really, who hadn't? He'd tried to blend into the background, but the Slytherins who had returned needed him to rally them, and the rest of the houses borderline despised him. He hadn't been allowed to mourn. Some might have thought he didn't deserve it.

She did at first. Then she'd started to notice the little things like how his once effortless grace was slightly more restrained as he walked, or the moments he'd stop and lean against the wall of an empty hall and merely shake with tremors. He had regular check ups with Pomfrey, something she'd found out by accident when she'd gone to the Infirmary in search of some mild sleep aids.

Of course, her brain had put it together rather quickly.

He'd been tortured. Badly.

She watched him even closer after that, and was surprised as day by day more people seemed to warm to him outside of his Slytherin housemates.

He'd begun his round of apologies.

She'd given up waiting for one by the time he did apologize to her.

He'd finished his speech, one she knew was filled with true remorse, and right before he made to walk away she'd called out.

 _I'm sorry too._

He'd turned, a puzzled expression on his face before he asked her why exactly she was sorry. She'd given him a small smile and merely said, "I'm sorry for all the things you did not choose."

He'd frozen and after what had felt like an eternity, he nodded and resumed his walk away from her.

It didn't take long for them to become friends. By the end of the year, she'd been sad to see him go. He'd been accepted to an accelerated Healer program in France, and the reality of not seeing him had surprisingly saddened her.

Then he'd returned to England following his father's unexpected death and taken back the reigns to his family company, growing it and expanding its research and development programs. She'd even been told he volunteered for weekend rounds at Mungo's.

He'd continued to change. Continued to surprise her.

It was through one of his ventures with the Ministry that they'd reconnected and eventually begun to date casually.

This was the first time he'd be in her home.

It filled her with excitement and amusement at her own school girl crush behavior.

This was Draco Malfoy. The boy who used to argue with her and had even sneezed on her in their childhood.

Yet, she wouldn't have it any other way.

* * *

Draco smiled slightly to himself before he knocked at Hermione's door.

It never ceased to shock him senseless that he was in a relationship with one Hermione Granger.

She was too good for him. Gods knows he knew it, as did everyone else. Yet, she never seemed to accept it when he told her.

 _You're too hard on yourself. You've earned everything you've ever got. You are a good man._

He'd nearly cried at her vehement insistence of that fact.

Again, she proved his point. She was too good for him.

But that didn't mean he didn't want her. Hell, this dinner itself was proof of that.

He grinned as the door swung open, and lent down and pressed a chaste kiss on her cheek.

"Hey."

She blushed before smiling wickedly and pulling him by the collar and crashing her lips on his.

"Hey yourself."

He grinned as she pulled him into her flat and told him to wait in the living room as dinner wasn't ready.

Still smiling, he deposited himself on the couch and leaned back to wait.

He scratched absently at his arm that was beginning to itch from where he'd dropped it on the couch. He blinked as his eyes watered slightly.

Hermione called out that it would be a few more minutes.

He was about to respond when he pitched forward and sneezed softly into his hand.

"Haeshh."

"Draco?"

He sniffed and blinked twice. He felt his nose began to itch again, and he rubbed it with his wrist before he stood and made to join Hermione in the kitchen.

He stood at the doorway and took her in. She had three different spells working on cutting and heating food as she bustled between them.

"You know I was fine with ordering in."

She startled before she pouted and crossed her arms.

"I wanted it to be special."

He crossed to her in two steps and pulled her in for a searing kiss.

"Who said it wouldn't have been anyway?"

She smiled coyly, wrapping her arms around his neck while combing her fingers through his hair.

"Oh really?"

She was teasing him. Sweet Salazar.

He nipped her lip before pressing his lips teasingly down her neck.

She moaned, and he hoisted her up onto counter.

"What." kiss. " about." kiss. " dinner?"

"Fuck it all."He muttered. He was just about to toss her over his shoulder and head toward her bedroom when the Floo chimed.

He muttered expletives as Hermione laughed silently and slid off the counter.

She ran a hand through her curls and righted herself before she strode out to the fireplace.

A minute later, she'd rushed back in and retrieved her wand.

"What's the matter?" he said following her as she dashed about and ended her cooking spells.

"It was Harry. He said James fell, and he's inconsolable at Mungo's. He keeps asking for me." She bit her lip guilty.

He let out a sigh.

"Do you want me to go with you? I am a Healer."

She shook her head and came over and kissed him softly.

"I should be back soon. No reason to worry."

He nodded once, struggling not to voice his anger for the two year old Potter spawn.

She smiled knowingly and patted his cheek before she rushed out back toward the fireplace.

"Oh." She called over her shoulder, "Would you mind letting Crooks out and feeding him?"

He stared at her dumbly.

"Crooks?"

She rolled her eyes. "Crookshanks, Draco, my cat."

Then, before he could respond, she'd disappeared in a flash of green.

Fuck.

* * *

It's not that he hadn't known about her cat. He remembered the orange monster from school as well as the few times she'd mentioned it. Yet, he was under the impression the beast was still living with her parents.

She'd sent him with them during the war, and they'd grown rather attached to one another.

It really was his luck that on tonight of all nights, she'd brought the cat back to stay with her.

He groaned leaning his head on the door to the room that currently housed the animal.

"You've survived the Dark Lord, Draco. You can survive a cat." He murmured to himself.

Although, he wasn't sure about that.

He was extremely allergic to the thing.

"Feed it and put it back. Shouldn't take long." He continued.

He took one last breath of clean air before he slowly opened the door.

He blinked, his eyes already beginning to water as he looked around for Crooks.

"Crookshanks?" he called edging slightly into the room.

"Mione said you ha- aa hatchoo." He sneezed. He blinked, before running his index finger under his nose.

He turned and found the bugger sitting up on the bed, examining him intently.

Great. Just great. The cat was judging him.

"I'm sure you want your food now." He managed before he doubled over in a string of sneezes.

"Haeshew. Ichew. Haeshew."

He sniffled, wiping at his nose with his sleeve.

Crooks cocked his head before he jumped from his spot and made his way out the door to the kitchen, swishing his tail. He had the strange sensation he'd insulted the mongrel.

Draco frowned. "Not my fault I'm allergic to you." He muttered turning to go after the cat when he caught sight of of a tissue box on the dresser.

He summoned it, before he let out a sigh and followed Crookshanks back into the kitchen.

He pulled a tissue and blew his nose carefully before depositing the box on the counter.

"Where does she keep your food?" he muttered to himself before he sneezed once more into the tissue still balled up in his hand.

"Haesh."

He rubbed at his burning eyes. He hadn't even gotten that close to the beast and he could already feel his body itching all over.

At least his throat hadn't started closing.

He gave up his search and accioed the cat food and bowl. He levitated them to Crooks, maintaining quite a few feet from him.

He pulled another tissue and blew his nose again.

Crookshanks looked at him balefully.

"What?" he snapped, wiping his nose with another tissue. "I'm sorry I don't have a five star meal for you. Blame Hermione."

Somewhere in the back of his mind he realized that arguing with Crooks was probably borderline mental.

In his allergy haze, he didn't particularly care.

"Aatchoo."

He groaned, leaning against the counter and felt an immense amount of relief to see Crookshanks eating. The sooner this was over the sooner he could lock Crookshanks back in the room and scourgify the entire flat.

He scratched his arm, wondering if Hermione would be back anytime soon.

Crooks stopped eating then and looked at him again.

He wasn't sure what prompted him to speak next, but he'd heard Hermione rave about how intelligent the thing was before. It couldn't hurt, could it?

He shook his head. He'd been chatting to the cat this entire time, what was one more conversation?

"I like her a lot you know." He said rubbing his itchy eyes. "More than like really. I...atchoo."

He snuffled into another tissue and coughed as he took a deep breath.

"I have plans to stick around, undoubtedly, we will keep seeing each other."

He rubbed his nose.

Crooks seemed to eye him wearily. Perhaps Granger was right and the beast did understand every word they said.

"At least try not to shed so much of that life threatening fur of yours."

He grabbed another tissue and sneezed rapid fire into it.

"Haesh ichh hatchew."

He sniffed pathetically and ran a hand through his hair.

Crooks cocked his head again before he resumed eating.

He shook his head at the sight.

He really was an ugly cat.

With the tissue box in hand, he left Crooks to eat as he headed out to the living room. He blew his nose a few times before he settled into the armchair, having deduced Crooks had been lounging on the sofa beforehand based on his earlier sneezing.

He closed his eyes tiredly, and before he knew it he'd drifted off into a fitful sleep.

When he woke, he felt something warm pressed at his feet.

He blinked his lids open just as the Floo sounded and Hermione stumbled out.

He was about to greet her when he doubled over and sneezed.

"Hatchoo."

He sniffed, only then noticing Crookshanks curled around his legs. He rolled his eyes, sidestepping the sleeping bugger to make his way to Hermione.

She looked him over with concern.

"Are you alright?"

He held a hand up for her to wait as he sneezed once more.

"Aatchoo."

He let out a breath, relieved when he didn't feel another sneeze.

He scratched at his arm and gave her a thin smile.

"How's James?"

Her brow rose.

"Fine. Poor thing broke his arm, but he'll be fine. Are you alright?" She stressed her question.

He let out a sigh. He was sure he looked a sight. Disheveled hair. Splotchy face. Red nose. A rash crawling up one of his arms.

"Fine. Just allergies."

Her eyes darted from him to Crookshanks before they widened in understanding. Immediately, she went over to Crooks and pulled him into her arms before depositing him back into her room.

When she returned, she pulled her wand and scourgified the entire room.

A frown had settled on her face by the time she turned back to face him.

"Why did you let him out if you were so allergic?"

He shook his head.

"You asked me too." He said softly rubbing his stuffy nose.

"I wouldn't have asked if I knew it would make you sick."

She sighed and cupped her hands around his face. "Do you need some medicine?" She asked.

He let his forehead drop to rest on hers.

"Please."

She kissed his cheek.

"Idiot." She murmured against his skin.

He lifted her chin and pressed his lips slowly on hers. For that moment, it didn't matter that he itched all over and couldn't breath through his nose. What mattered was the witch between his arms, and that she wanted him like he wanted her.

"Your idiot." He breathed.

She opened her eyes slowly with a smile on her face.

"Mine." She agreed as she kissed him again.

 ** _Fin._**


End file.
